A Dark Before
by irulefanfiction
Summary: The gods have forever used the demigods as living, breathing weapons. They only spread the stories of the successful, so-called heroes. After the war, their last heroes come back for revenge on the gods and those who stand on their side- the gods' new favorites. What happens when the campers begin to see the dark side of things?
1. Chapter 1

They would haunt the gods forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Something hung in the air, reeking of pain and depression. It didn't matter that it was peacetime, the war was over, and they defeated Gaea. The war had taken its maximum toll. The cabins were deathly silent. What remained of the Seven were reduced to hollow shells of themselves. Winning was nothing; it was a minute cover up for the losses, for a moment of happiness before reality dawned upon you.

Remember Percabeth? Annabeth still hangs out with Percy. But it's no longer midnight kisses in the lake. It's just consolation hugs by the graves, tearful memories of the dead and gone. Of Jason taking that stab for Piper. Of Travis stealing weapons- doing what he did best- and never coming back. Of Leo telling Hazel that he wished her and Frank a happy ending while he clutched the knife in his chest. Annabeth puts her head on Percy's shoulder. But just in the way two friends would. They're not Percabeth anymore, the hero and hero couple everyone loved and adored. Their lives were broken and shattered. No one thought of pursuing their dreams anymore. Frank never got to asking Hazel out. Because she could've been Hazel Valdez and he couldn't take that away from Leo, that girl stealing bumbling idiot of a hero he ended up to be. Artemis ended up disbanding the Hunters after millennias of hunting together. There was no reason to live eternally in this goddammed hellhole.

It was pathetic watching Chiron try to keep life normal. He used to give meaningless quests to quell the restless campers. But now they are no longer restless and quests just remind them of war. It's more like he's babysitting the walking dead than training heroes. Chiron actually misses Dionysus. But Dionysus won't ever step foot inside this camp again. Not after he's lost the only demigods he's ever loved. No one comes to find him anymore. He regrets his decision to train heroes for eternity. They all end up dead, broken, horribly deluded and homicidal, and then forgotten.

"What can I help you with?" The words feel so strange on his tongue. His eyes can't adjust to seeing _actual people _in his office. What in the world were Annabeth and Percy doing here?

They mumble their hellos and they proceed to help themselves to sodas that they hope will wash their sorrows away. They play pool and halfheartedly hit the balls on the table. Annabeth rummages through Chiron's dusty old camp records and Chiron's stopped caring enough to tell them it was rude to pole around.

"What... who's this?" Oh gods, they see the very thing they aren't supposed to see.


	3. Chapter 3

A girl and a guy. They've got this uncanny resemblance to Annabeth and Percy. Blonde hair, black hair. Grey eyes, green eyes. They smile this unnerving haunting smile. Like the one Leo gave Hazel. And Jason's for Piper.

"You're not supposed to see that." Chiron snatches it away, but it's too late. They've already awakened the curse, a curse that their broken pathetic little army can't fight against this time.

"Take it," Chiron whispers hoarsely, "and burn it." He tries to salvage a last hope for them. But it's no use. Like everything in this goddamn world.

Annabeth drops it and leaves abruptly. Her face doesn't seem to register the seriousness.

Annabeth fumbles with her new iPhone, a consolation gift from her father. She stares at her reflection in the darkened screen. Dark circles and straightened locks. No more princess curls. She scrolls through her contacts for Thalia, but Thals isn't in her contacts yet.

"Hey, Malc, remember what's Thals'..." She trails off, remembering he left camp. It wasn't much of a protection anyway.

Percy reaches for a drachma to IM Tyson in his own cabin. His cabin is lonelier than ever, despite the fact he was always Poseidon's only demigod son. Percy sighs and flicks it into the fountain, making an arch as it disappeared.

Tyson had grown. He looked rougher, less innocent and naive.

"I was just thinking of checking in on you brother." _Yes, you were _so _thinking about me. _But Percy doesn't say any of that aloud, managing an awkward smile for his brother.

"How's uh... being general?" _What a dumbass_. _Really Perseus Jackson? You ask now? What, like five years after he gets the role?_

Tyson shrugs on the other end. _What a war,_ he can only think to himself.

"Father misses you."

"Good to know." Gods, he felt like Luke these days.

The next couple of days flood in a horde of new campers. All already claimed, all older than thirteen. Yet Percy fails to see the oddity in all of this. He's instructed to not speak of the war and he's happy to comply. New campers, new start. And hey, he had a sister now.

Dylan Rivers is awfully nice, almost fake. She knows a lot for a newcomer. But Percy doesn't notice, nor would he care. He needs a confidante, and it comes in the form of a sister. It doesn't even strike him as strange that Poseidon never even mentioned her.

Heather and Mitch Kay play Annabeth like a stupid child. She doesn't even hear them laughing about her being a hypocrite, _so _not a child of Athena. She was part of a broken army, hardly an army at all.

And Chiron can only stare motionlessly at their faces; he can't do a thing. He hated it.


	4. Chapter 4

Camp was camp again, more or less. As if the war never happened. The new kids assimilated into their lives faster than ever. Everyone loved them blindly, not caring who they were.

Annabeth flirts with Katie's new brother shamelessly in front of Percy. Percy doesn't even glance her way, like Tylerbeth replacing Percabeth was nothing at all. It was like things had always been this way.

Annabeth loves Tyler's hazel eyes and blonde hair. They're a match made in heaven, with matching blonde hair and equivalent intellect. They all sit together in a group by the campfire. Percy jokes carelessly about Tyler being the apple of Annabeth's eye. Annabeth just laughs and says the same about Aphrodite girl Venus who hangs on to Percy's arm like there's no tomorrow. Venus and Percy are perfectly matched too, the princess and her valiant knight. The way Percy jokes with Annabeth is as if they were never an item. They appear genuinely happy, too happy to figure out they were being played like pawns on a chessboard.

"Hey sugar," Venus greets. She has this slight Southern accent that makes Percy go weak in the knees. Percy invites her in and she tosses her luscious strawberry blonde hair over the shoulder as she sits down beside him on his bed. They spend hours laughing and joking and doing who knows what in his cabin.

"So tell me, what was life like before I came?" Venus raises her eyebrow.

Percy laughs. "Nothing much."

"Come on, you guys looked so depressed. That can't be nothing. Tell me, you can _trust _me." Venus coos and Percy finds himself spilling everything he'd been instructed not to say. It was just that one word, "trust." It had felt like, with all the deaths, he was betrayed and left all alone. And Venus was the best friend- no scratch that- best _girlfriend_ ever. Compassionate, funny, nice, and yes, beautiful.

Percy would shatter if only he knew.

Annabeth pours out her life story to Heather. How her father isn't want her. How she ran away from Luke. How Thalia was a pine tree for five years of her life.

"You're the sister I never had!" Heather's eyes flash as she embraces Annabeth.


	5. Chapter 5

It was highly unexpected to see Thalia at camp. But after loosing her brother and the Hunters, she had nowhere else to go. Not to the Romans, after all, despite being sister to their late praetor, she was still a _graeco._ Thalia places one hand on Peleus, scanning camp. She was Nico's age now, picking her life up from where she left it.

"Hey!" Annabeth was too enthusiastic. Thalia was less than enthusiastic.

"Where's Nico?" It was no surprise that the two goths would find comfort in each other after this tragedy.

Annabeth shrugs and drags her off. "Lemme introduce you to some new people first. And then you can go find Nico. This is Dylan, Percy's sister. Your cousin." Thalia's lip curls into a snarl, going unnoticed by Annabeth.

Two days later, Thalia's worst premonitions come true. A boy and a girl stand atop Halfblood Hill. The boy demands to see Percy. And swords clash. Green eyes on green.

"What the fuck man! Who _are _you?"

The nameless boy only smirks. "I'll tell you when you're lying in a pool of your own blood." He raise his arm to strike, but instead of celestial bronze, he wields water. Percy gets the battle now. He counter strikes, a liquid dagger forming in midair. Annabeth watches in horror, but a sliver of her finds it beautiful- the stabs and parries pirouettes in a dance, the clashing of swords the accompanying music. They're dancers, only wearing armor instead of a dress, holding a sword instead of flowers.

Annabeth smiles as Percy gains the upper hand. But he is quickly knocked down again.

Percy snarls as he wipes the blood from his mouth. "You may be the better fighter." Percy manages to stand. "But father loves me more." He taunts his opponent, trying to rattle his nerves. But the other boy is unfazed, a cruel smirk spreading on his lip.

"Shame. You actually want to die. What a hero." He swings his sword around menacingly before tightening his grip and aiming the sword at Percy's heart.

"No!" Annabeth screams her throat hoarse as she runs forward. But one hand grips her shoulder tightly. Annabeth turn around, intent on murdering whoever just stopped her.

A girl smiles coldly. "Nice to meet you, Annabeth Chase. Ky Amber. Isn't my boyfriend such a great fighter? I suggest you don't ruin the show." Ky's voice is laced with menace and arrogance. Annabeth, outraged, slaps her and runs off to Percy. "Mother always said to stay calm," Ky calls out. "What a _great_ favorite daughter you are!" Annabeth looks back into Ky's eyes. Behind the veil of cruelty and arrogance, lies the pain of a broken past.

"Tris, let's go now. Let's not take away the fun from next time." They vanish into the distance, their laughter echoing behind them. Annabeth cradles Percy in her arms, her eyes lighting up when she remembers. Ky Amber. Tristan Bane. The ones in the picture. The names in the caption.

"THIS IS WAR!"


End file.
